Meet the Cowboys rookie who could be Dallas' next undrafted gem

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 05: San Diego State defensive back Kam Kelly catches a pass during the NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 5, 2018, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

So agreeing to sign with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent hours after the 2018 draft has put him back on a familiar path. Kelly was a college player who should have been drafted -- a first-team All-Mountain West cornerback with starting experience at safety and 10 career interceptions.

But Kelly wasn't. So life goes on.

"I was a two-star coming out of high school," Kelly said, "so this doesn't faze me at all. I'm used to being overlooked."

That wasn't always the case. Kelly was a promising quarterback at Wylie High School who had Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech all courting him during his junior season. Then he suffered a broken elbow -- and his dream of playing close to home in the Big 12 evaporated.

"I had teams keep looking at me," Kelly said, "but they pulled back their offers. So my senior year I played receiver, quarterback, defensive back...a little bit of everything."

Kelly's father, Curley, sent a highlight film of Kam to colleges around the country hoping to generate some interest and they heard back from San Diego State assistant head coach Jeff Horton, who had a fondness for Texas players. Horton was from Arlington.

"The way that he talked to me was kind of the way the Cowboys talked to me -- it doesn't matter where you come from," Kelly recalled. "He said, 'We don't care how many stars you had in high school. If you come here and work and learn the defense, you can play.'"

And play he did. Kelly hit the field as a true freshman, lining up as a safety on the depth chart, but his domain became special teams. He blocked a punt by UNLV and returned a kickoff a season-long 56 yards against Fresno State. But a leg injury ended his season after six games.

Kelly moved into the starting lineup at strong safety as a sophomore and spent the next two seasons there, covering slot receivers and serving as a thumper in run support. He moved to cornerback as a senior and was voted a team captain. He intercepted three passes, broke up 11 others and continued to play special teams, leading the Aztecs with three tackles in punt coverage.

Kelly was projected as a mid-round draft pick and was invited to the NFL scouting combine. But when he ran a 4.66 in his 40-yard dash at Indianapolis, his draft stock cooled. He improved his time to 4.55 at his pro day on campus, but by then, the NFL had collectively made up its mind that Kelly lacked the speed to play corner on Sundays.

"Richard Sherman ran a 4.62," Kelly said the other day after his first practice with the Cowboys.

Sherman was an All-Pac 12 corner at Stanford whose speed slid him into the fifth round of the 2011 draft. Sherman has since played in four Pro Bowls, led the NFL in interceptions and helped the Seattle Seahawks win a Super Bowl.

And that's one of the reasons Kelly was excited about the prospect of playing professionally for his hometown team. Sherman's position coach with the Seahawks, Kris Richard, is now the defensive backs coach of the Cowboys.

Easy to appreciate the competitive toughness #SanDiegoState CB Kam Kelly brings to the field. Some teams want him to return to safety, but press-heavy teams will want this at corner. pic.twitter.com/S4UrEhIQ3Y

"He likes big corners," said the 6-foot-2, 204-pound Kelly. "This is a good situation for me."

But that wasn't the only reason. The Cowboys have one of the richest histories of undrafted free agents in the NFL.

Kelly heard from the Bills, Colts and Packers, in addition to the Cowboys, on the final day of the draft. That night, as Kelly, his father and his agent were pondering the offers, they started Googling the names of the Dallas undrafted. Tony Romo ... Miles Austin ... Cole Beasley. And over on defense, at safety alone, Cliff Harris, Bill Bates, Barry Church and Jeff Heath.

"They told [me] they were going to bring me in as an undrafted ... but that doesn't mean anything," Kelly said. "They said, 'We've had a lot of undrafted guys who have gone on to Pro Bowls and become Cowboys legends.' Their attitude is we don't care what your name is, what you did in college or where you got drafted. It's all about what you do right now.'"

His dream of playing close to home in college didn't materialize. But it can materialize as a professional. And that's the attitude he's bringing to Frisco, where he will practice at both cornerback and safety.

"People don't really know my name so I always have to prove myself," Kelly said. "This is nothing new. It's almost better this way because it keeps that fire in you. It keeps you hungry. You have a point to prove every day. I know my talent was third or fourth round and I'm just going to come out here and play like it."

Sounds like the same words I've heard at Cowboys minicamps over the years from the likes of Heath, Beasley, Lance Dunbar and Church.